Mr. Trump, who maintains his innocence in all of these cases and speaks of — what else — a witch hunt, sharply denounced the investigation, which he was not present at, in a lengthy statement.
First step towards bringing him to trial for some, “political persecution” for others: the FBI search of his home Donald Trump Yesterday Tuesday shed new harsh light on the deep division in USAas the Republican former president flirts more and more openly with the possibility of running again.
Never before had a former occupant of the White House been troubled by justice in such a way.
There is still no answer to the question of what the federal police investigation was about. The boxes that Donald Trump took with him when leaving the White House in January 2021? His responsibilities for the attack of his followers in the Capitol? The financial fraud cases being investigated against the Trump Organization, his business group, in New York?
When contacted by AFP, the Federal Bureau of Investigation declined to comment.
Mr. Trump, who maintains his innocence in all of these cases and speaks of — what else — a witch hunt, sharply denounced the investigation, which he was not present at, in a lengthy statement.
“Our nation lives in dark days,” he protested, asserting that the federal police search of his residence was “neither necessary nor appropriate.”
Witness
“No one is above the law (…) even if they were president,” argued Nancy Pelosi, the Democratic speaker of the House of Representatives, who, like many other barons of her party, calls on NBC yesterday Tuesday for years the real estate tycoon to account.
The day after the FBI “raid” at Mar-a-Lago, Republican Rep. Scott Perry announced that federal police agents had seized his cell phone, without the Trump ally knowing why.
Yesterday morning, “as I was traveling with my family, three FBI agents” approached him and “grabbed my cell phone,” he told Fox News, denouncing “banana-worthy” practices.
The escalation appears to bolster Donald Trump’s influence in the Republican caucus, which has rallied around the businessman — branding him a martyr.
“Civil War”
Shortly after the investigation was announced, a group of Mr Trump’s supporters gathered outside the tempestuous tycoon’s luxury home to express their anger.
Many of its members held placards with the slogan “Biden is not my president”, reminding for the latest time that, a year and a half after Donald Trump’s defeat, tens of millions of Americans remain convinced that the outcome of the November 2020 presidential election was the result of “stealing”.
On social media sites, some of Mr Trump’s supporters yesterday called for a “divorce” from the government of a country where the divide is now so vast it seems impossible to bridge.
“This is happening in a country at civil war,” raged Marjorie Taylor Green, a Georgia lawmaker known for her verbal abuses, calling for the FBI to be dismantled, among other things. “The political persecution must stop,” he added, capitalizing the last three words and adding three exclamation points.
Republicans may regain control of Congress in November’s congressional elections, which are said to be extremely dangerous for Joe Biden’s faction.
Springboard for 2024?
Denouncing the “unbearable political manipulation” of the Justice Department, House GOP leader Kevin McCarthy promised an investigation into its operation if Republicans regain power.
White House spokeswoman Karin Jean-Pierre denied yesterday that President Biden was informed in advance of the search of the home of his former (and possibly future) presidential opponent.
“President Biden has been very clear, before he was elected and after he took office, that the Justice Department conducts its investigations in an independent manner. He believes in the rule of law,” he said.
Donald Trump, who could announce his candidacy for another term at any time, took the opportunity to make a fresh appeal to the generosity of his followers.
“It’s not just my home under attack — it’s every patriotic American’s home that I’m fighting for,” he said in an email to supporters, asking for donations of $5 to $5,000 to wage the fight against the “hunt of witches”.
RES-EMP
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